Large field set for Sask. Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race

By Derek Cornet

Mushers and their dog teams will brave frigid conditions for this week’s Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race in Saskatchewan.

Veterinarian checks were done on Monday and the main 10-dog, 200-mile race will still start at Elk Ridge at noon on Tuesday. The eight-dog, 100-mile race is scheduled to start in La Ronge on Thursday and the six-dog, 50-mile race will begin Friday in Missinipe. The event is a qualifier for the larger Yukon Quest and Iditarod races.

“Things are looking good,” Canadian Challenge president Anna Bolvin said. “We had a few problems with overflow on some of the lakes. On the southern trail, we’re going to have to bypass Montreal Lake because of too much overflow. The lake is flooded and we can’t go across it.”

After leaving Elk Ridge, mushers will travel to checkpoints in Weyakwin, one along Highway 969, La Ronge and Missinipe. They will then return to the finish line in La Ronge, while those looking to qualify for larger races will travel to Missinipe a second time and return to La Ronge for an extra 100 miles.

The eight-dog race starts in La Ronge and has a mandatory layover at Missinipe before coming back to La Ronge. The six-dog race will be held between Missinipe and La Ronge.

“We’ve had some teams pull out due to personal reasons,” Bolvin said. “We still have a big field of mushers. We still have lots of mushers going in for the qualifying part of it. We are all excited about that.”

She explained Canadian Rangers and volunteers have been busy ensuring the trails are ready. Work still needs to be done packing and the trail needs to be marked with stakes. Bolvin noted the trails have plenty of snow, maybe even too much in some areas.

Ragnar Robinson, who is the son of longtime La Ronge musher Sid Robinson, has for the first time entered the challenge and has done so in the 200-mile, 10-dog main event. He grew up around dogs and assisted his father throughout the years, but he has never signed up for such an enduring race.

“I just moved back to La Ronge and I thought it would be cool to give it a try,” Robinson said. “I think my main goal is just to finish. I don’t know if I trained them enough to be competitive, but I think if we finish, it will be a success.”

With the provincial government no longer requiring residents to show a proof of vaccination, those participating won’t need to show their status to organizers. As a precaution to prevent COVID from spreading, mushers, handlers, volunteers and anyone else involved in the Canadian Challenge will need to undergo rapid testing. Testing was done at the vet checks on Monday and upon arrival in La Ronge and Missinipe.

“We always welcome volunteers in any type of capacity,” Bolvin said. “If people want to volunteer, they can access our website and there’s a link to sign up or just contact one of us who is listed directly either on Facebook Messenger or phone.”

Dog teams will compete for a total prize purse of $25,000.

You can follow the teams here.